


A Secret Shared

by iceprinceofbelair



Series: breath(less) of the wild [1]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Permanent Injury, Team as Family, Whump, Wild (Linked Universe)-centric, breathing problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 06:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28467084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iceprinceofbelair/pseuds/iceprinceofbelair
Summary: The shrine of resurrection couldn't heal everything. Wild has a bit more trouble breathing than he did before. He probably should have told the others about that before it landed him in this mess.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Time & Wild (Linked Universe), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe)
Series: breath(less) of the wild [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085168
Comments: 7
Kudos: 257





	A Secret Shared

**Author's Note:**

> i have a lot of scenarios i want to write for this headcanon but since this is the first one i'm posting, a little context: wild has chronic breathing trouble following the battle at fort hateno. his lungs were badly damaged by the guardian's final laser blast. the shrine did its best to piece him back together but it couldn't heal him completely.
> 
> also this is my first lu fic so i'd appreciate (constructive) feedback on the charactersation.

The bokoblins come out of nowhere. Or perhaps, they’ll reflect later, they simply weren’t paying enough attention to keep them from stumbling loudly into a camp of sleeping monsters. Usually at least one of them will notice before they literally trip over a bokoblin’s leg but, well, there’s a first time for everything. 

Time is the first to react, drawing his sword and slashing a blue one across the face before it can even grab its weapon. The bokoblins are mostly blue and black but the silver one is the greatest cause for concern. Wind and Hyrule seem to have it well in hand, however, and Time turns his attention to making sure his goes down and stays down.

“Legend, on your six,” Four shouts, driving his sword into a black bokoblin’s stomach. 

Legend spins away from the silver bokoblin, smashing the hilt of his sword into another monster’s face and knocking it to the ground. The beast lets out a shriek of rage and throws itself at Legend who ducks nimbly under its wildly swinging arm and dances out of the way of a jab from the silver one’s spear.

“I’ve got silver,” Warriors calls as he and Legend quickly settle into their preferred back-to-back fighting technique. “Wouldn’t want you to get hurt, princess.”

“Shove a sock in it, you overblown beauty queen,” Legend snarls back, putting the force of his annoyance into his swing.

An arrow whips narrowly past Warriors’s ear, lodging in the silver bokoblin’s shoulder. Warriors can’t help but smirk. Wild might be a bit of a nuisance sometimes but the kid is one hell of a shot.

The fight shifts into something almost choreographed from there, each hero dancing around one another as they take care of the camp. That is, until Sky hears a thud from behind him and the gleeful scream of another bokoblin - a gold one that’s knocked Wild to the ground with a dragonbone bat. Even as Sky races over to help, he expects Wild to be back on his feet and laying into the beast by the time he reaches him. 

But he’s still lying on the ground with the creature looming over him when Sky intercepts its swing with the master sword and a fierce growl of his own. As Wild gasps for breath on the forest floor, Sky knocks the bat out of the bokoblin’s hand and sends it flying back into a tree with a well placed elbow.

“Wild, you alright?” He asks, glancing down at his teammate for as long as he dares, keeping one eye on the bokoblin at all times. Wild is still trying desperately to catch his breath and Sky figures he must have been caught in the back. Those dragonbone bats are nasty if they catch you the wrong way.

Sky risks a quick glance around the battlefield in time to see Twilight dispatch with the silver one as Wind darts away to help Time.

“Twilight, Wild’s down!” He yells, wincing when Time is distracted by his shout and almost takes a club to the head. 

But he can’t think about that for too long because the gold bokoblin is advancing again. He swings.

Twilight drops to his knees next to Wild, hands finding his upper arms and holding him upright. 

“I’m fine,” Wild tries to say but he barely has the breath. He’s sure there’s concern in Twilight’s expression but he can barely see him beyond the fluttering black spots. The sight of them almost makes him panic. He  _ can’t  _ pass out here. Not yet.

“Like hell you are,” Twilight growls, tugging Wild into his lap as though he weighs nothing. Wild doesn’t have the strength to protest though he really, really wants to. They’re in the middle of a damn battlefield, after all. They really don’t have time for Wild to be coughing until there are tears streaming down his face. “Try to match my breathing, cub. Mine’s a little fast too from the fight but we’ll slow it down together, okay? That’s it.”

Time is there for a moment, looking as frightened as Wild feels. Something jolts in Wild’s stomach at the sight; Time isn’t supposed to look like that. 

“I’ve got him. Cover Sky,” Twilight insists and then Time is gone again. The sounds of the fight start to fade. Twilight gives him a rough shake, bringing Wild’s hand to rest on his mentor’s chest. “No, cub, don’t fall asleep. You’ve got this. Remember what we practiced. Try to copy me.”

_ I’m trying,  _ Wild wants to scream.  _ There isn’t enough air.  _

That’s the thought that lets him catch himself, in the end, and how he knows he can beat this. There are times when he physically can’t draw in any more air no matter how hard his body screams for it. This attack, like many others, had started that way. But that thought only ever comes with the panic and Wild knows fear is something he can suppress.

Twilight counts his breaths with him, offering gentle words of praise as he gradually turns his choked gasping into slow, calm breathing. He may not be the master of his own body, sometimes, but he’s sure as hell the master of his emotions.

“Good job, cub,” Twilight murmurs when Wild can finally turn to look at him. He looks pale and tired but his body sags with relief when Wild manages a small smile. Twilight smiles back softly and helps him move to sit on a fallen log rather than the ground now that the evening chill is starting to creep in. 

The others, he realises, are very pointedly  _ not  _ looking at him while they set up camp. They’re quiet as they work and this is what gives away their eavesdropping, really. They’ve never been quiet a day in their lives. Even Four, whose leg is healing from a particularly nasty bite, is occupying himself by cleaning his already pristine sword.

Hyrule catches his eye and quickly averts his gaze. He clears his throat and the noise echoes in the near silence, drawing everyone’s eyes to him. 

“I’ll find us something for dinner. Legend, you want to hunt with me?”

Legend scoffs but it’s lacking its usual bite. “Someone’s got to make sure you actually catch something, I suppose.”

With that, the two of them vanish into the trees and Wild feels anxiety welling up in his chest again.

“Why don’t you three start gathering firewood?” Time suggests.

Warriors nods sharply and Sky wraps an arm around Wind’s shoulders, beginning to lead him out of camp. Wild tries to ignore the young sailor’s concerned eyes lingering as he’s dragged away.

Wild clenches his hands into fists to keep them from shaking and deliberately doesn’t watch Time sit down on the stump across from him. He quizzes his eyes shut to stop the welling tears from spilling -  _ stupid, childish _ \- and is dismayed to feel his breath start to slip away again. Hylia is a cruel puppeteer at times. 

Something heavy drops into his lap and Wild looks down to meet Wolfie’s soft eyes gazing gently up at him. His hands find Wolfie’s ears quite of their own accord and his fingers play absently with the soft fur there. When he feels like he won’t immediately burst into tears, he risks a glance up at Time and immediately regrets it.

Time’s expression is carefully schooled but Wild remembers the fear he’d seen there earlier and feels guilt claw its way up his throat. He tangles his restless fingers in Wolfie’s thick fur to keep himself from scratching at his scars and tries not to bounce his leg so much that it disturbs Wolfie’s head. He sees Wind give him another worried look before Hyrule ushers him away and the guilt only grows. Wolfie whines in his lap.

“Wild, I’m asking you to be honest with me,” Time says seriously. The steel in his voice sends a shiver down Wild’s spine. “How long have you been sick?”

Wild stills. “I’m not sick,” he says carefully though his thin, breathless voice doesn’t do much to help his case and Time shoots him a disbelieving look. “I’m not! I’m just...my lungs don’t work right sometimes, that’s all.”

When Wild chances a glance up, Time is giving him a curious look. Wild can practically see him remembering their first meeting and could swear he hears the cogs turning as Time puts the pieces together. 

“Have you always had this...difficulty?” Time asks at last. 

Wild shifts uncomfortably and Time exchanges a meaningful glance with Wolfie.

“As far as you remember, I mean,” Time adds after a moment of tense silence. 

Wild tries not to wince. His memory issues aren’t exactly a secret but he still feels unbearably exposed whenever they’re brought up. None of the others have ever showed any signs of pitying him but Wild can’t help feeling it all the same. Still, he supposes this is better than having to explain  _ why  _ his lungs burn after every fight for far longer than they should.

But he’s been thinking for too long and Time is waiting for an answer. Wild nods.

“Then I trust you know how to handle it,” Time says brusquely and Wild’s head shoots up in surprise. It’s rare for Time to trust him with, well, anything. He has, after all, been known to break three swords in a single battle. 

“However,” Time goes on and Wild deflates. “I have one condition - the others need to be told.”

A jolt of panic rushes through his chest. “But-” he starts but Time holds up a hand to quiet him and he obliges without really meaning to. 

“I won’t be swayed on this. It’s important that your team knows your limits if they’re going to rely on you.”

And doesn’t that just feel like a punch to the gut. Time might call it a ‘limit’ but Wild knows what he means. 

_ You’re not enough. _

“Please don’t,” he says and immediately pinches himself hard in the arm. He isn’t going to beg. “They won’t trust me to have their backs.”

“Maybe not at first,” Time concedes as Wolfie nuzzles at his hand, forcing his nose between Wild’s pinched fingers and guiding his hand away from his arm. It’s a well-practiced motion. Wild wishes it didn’t have to be. “They’ll need some time to relearn how to fight with you with this in mind but they’ll get used to it.”

Wild looks away, tensing the muscles in his stomach and chest in an effort to keep his tears contained. He’s always been quick to tears in his frustration (he thinks, anyway) and it’s his least favourite trait. People don’t take him seriously when he starts crying like a little kid not getting his way. 

“They’ll try to protect me. Get themselves hurt,” Wild reasons. 

“Is that really so different from the way things are?” Time returns, looking pointedly down at where Wolfie is nosing at his abdomen. “How many times has someone been hurt because they expected you to do more?”

Wolfie lets out a low, threatening growl and Time lifts his hands in a sign of surrender. Wild’s survivor’s guilt is as obvious as the sun in daylight, after all. 

“What I mean to say is that hiding this has the potential to get someone seriously hurt,” Time says. His voice is gentle but his words sharp. They cut Wild’s throat when he tries to swallow them. “Answer me this: why is Hyrule never the one shooting moblins from trees?”

The question catches Wild off guard. “Because...because he’s better in close combat?”

“And because you’re a much better shot,” Time adds in a very matter-of-fact way. Wild feels the tips of his ears flush at the praise. “My point is that we play to each other’s strengths. That includes making sure we balance each other’s weaknesses.”

_ He means  _ _ your _ _ weaknesses.  _

Time sighs. “I know that look all too well. We all have weaknesses, Wild. Nobody can be good at everything. Sky tires more easily than the rest of us. I have a bigger blind spot than most. You already compensate for those things, don’t you?”

Reluctantly, Wild nods. He can feel Time’s logical net closing in on him and can’t help but be faintly annoyed about it. 

“If only one person knows about your weakness, only one person can work to combat it,” Time says with an air of finality about him. “The others need to know. Do you understand?”

As much as Wild hates to admit it, Time makes some very good points. 

_ You’re not enough.  _

“I understand,” he whispers and, despite everything, it still feels like admitting defeat. 

Time stands with a quiet groan and stretches out his neck, dropping one hand onto Wild’s shoulder. “We’ll talk about it in the morning. Get some sleep, both of you. Don’t worry about watch. Warriors could do with a bit less beauty sleep, anyway.”

Wolfie huffs out an amused breath but Wild doesn’t have it in him to laugh. He plays with Wolfie’s ears while thoughts of how the others might react race tirelessly through his head. 

He doesn’t sleep.


End file.
